General Modern

An aerial view of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Geography has been

The surprisingly long history of humanity’s political development

When Victoria wed, she wore white so the crowds could see her from afar. (Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

The A to Z of royal weddings with Tracy Borman

A c1870 engraving of diamond miners in Brazil in c1800. Despite abolitionists' best efforts, British companies used slaves in their South American mines until the 1880s. (Getty Images)

Britain’s slaves in Latin America

Britain's decision to join the Common Market made front page news in the early Seventies. (Photo by Douglas Miller/Keystone/Getty Images)

A big day in history: the debate on whether Britain should join the European Community

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A portrait of the great lexicographer Samuel Johnson.

My history hero: Samuel Johnson (1709-84) . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Edinburgh memorial to Scots who fought in the Union army. Erected in 1893, it shows a former slave gazing up at Abraham Lincoln. (Getty Images)

Lincoln’s British enemies

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Illustration by Jonty Clark

Ye olde travel guide: St Petersburg 1725 . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Geevor Tin Mine, Cornwall

A re-enactment of the American Civil War. The conflict looms large in the US psyche 150 years after if began. (Getty Images)

Civil rights and the Civil War

Two women from South America. Six centuries ago South American civilisations matched the west in some respects. (Getty Images)

The wonder of the west

Map of Algiers, c1700. It was here that Icelanders, including Ólafur Egilsson, were sold into slavery. (Culture Club/Getty Images)

Barbary pirates: kidnapped in Iceland

A Cardiff City player shakes hands with an Arsenal player before the kick off of the 1927 FA Cup final. (Photo by H. F. Davis/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

England and Wales: best of enemies?

A view of Jerusalem's best known landmark the Dome of the Rock, a spectacular shrine on the site where Muhammad is said to have risen to heaven. (Getty Images)

Jerusalem: blood and gold

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Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge

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Scottish poet Robert Burns. His poetry captured a familiar if rapidly disappearing rural way of life, says Christopher Whatley. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Robert Burns: the people’s poet . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.